Lightweight Construction

Additive Manufacturing from EOS enables the construction and manufacture of highly stable lightweight structures that cannot be produced using conventional production processes.

Products should only use as many resources as are absolutely essential in order to perform their function. Because raw materials consumption, and therefore the prices for resources, is increasing enormously worldwide, this requirement in relation to product development and manufacturing is gaining increasing importance.

Additive Manufacturing technology from EOS can be used to build all kinds of detailed and complex lightweight structures. It offers developers maximum construction freedom. Early on in the construction process it is possible to remove superfluous material from many components. This superfluous material is unavoidable when conventional manufacturing methods are used. In Additive Manufacturing, material is only applied in those places where it is required for functional reasons. This results in extremely light yet highly stable components. Users thus gain greater room to maneuver in construction and design.

The construction of a battery holder for an electric racing car illustrates the benefits of Additive Manufacturing: in just a short space of time, students from the Global Formula Racing Team designed the container for their racing car and used the Additive Manufacturing process to produce it in flame-retardant PA12 material. The finished component is light, compact and safe. The great construction freedom meant that the students were able to integrate cooling channels and cable ducts directly in the container itself, thereby also saving material and weight.

Using the EOS technology, the volume of the battery housing was reduced by half, and the weight by 40 % (Source: Global Formula Racing).